Helmet Life

[NC Triker]

I was told you should replace your helmet every 5 Yrs even if there is no damage to it. Is this true?

[rhino 2]

I was told you should replace your helmet every 5 Yrs even if there is no damage to it. Is this true?

Yes’That’s the recommendation from DOT And The helmet manufacturers😱📞

[ultrafxr]

Good read about the subject:

http://motorcycle-central.com/why-do...elmets-expire/

[rhino 2]

Me' I never keep a helmet more than 5 years, Not for safety reasons its just that i rarely keep a bike/trike for more than 5 years, And as we all know when you get a new toy you need a new matching helmet to help the new toy run more better......

But sometimes i think the expiration date is like on some food products a way to make the consumers buy more product....That said if the helmet was hit or banged hard then i would 86 it......Or make it a wall hanger...Or put it out in a frozen lake with a pound of Tannerite in it and send it to helmet heaven........But don't try that at home...You will be surprised how far pieces of helmet can fly.......

[ultrafxr]

If you ride a lot especially in really hot weather you'll probably want to replace the helmet sooner than five years. Just sayin'.

[hogcowboy]

My last helmet fit so darn well that I had it for 15 years. It was silver/gray so would go with any color bike. I also wore a sweat cap and changed it or washed it often. I only went with a new helmet to get a drop down visor. Sometimes I wish I still had my old helmet though. I sold it unfortunately. On all day 500 mile rides, my ears are getting very angry with this new helmet. I hope some day that stops but right now it hurts on all day rides. It's white so it too will go with any bike and be better with this Texas heat.

[graygoat]

I go with 5 - 6 years, then I cut off the buckle & toss it in the garbage. By cutting off the buckle, no one else can use my outdated helmet.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

I use some common sense. If I drop it or it is abused in anyway, yes, I replace it.

Having said that, I only wear a helmet on trips. Around town ... nope. So, I take really good care of them. At anywhere from $500-$1200 a pop, I can't afford to replace them every 5 years.

I clean the liner after every trip. I clean the inner thingie after every trip. I clean the outer shell after every trip. The helmet when not on my head is in a padded helmet bag. I inspect it after every trip.

So, as long as it looks like it did the day I bought it, why would I buy another one?

There's a line in the article in the link above, that I suspect tells you everything you need to know about the article.

"If you are lucky enough to go through your helmet’s lifespan without cutting it short due to an accident, your time with it is still limited."



Clearly the writer believes motorcycle riding is just below tight rope walking across Niagara Falls in the realm of dangerousness.

Awhile back, snell and DOT did a study on motorcycle fatalities wearing a helmet vs. no helmet. One was 51% and one was 49%. Can you guess which side had more fatalities???? Yep, the helmet wearers. I have no idea if those numbers are still the same.

So .. does a helmet save lives ... in some cases yes. In an abrasion type accident ... yes. If you land on asphalt on your helmet ... no ... both DOT and Snell concluded broken necks from the super ball effect are big.

My view ... if you want to wear a helmet ... wear one ... if you want to swap it out every 5 years ... feel free. If you want to buy a $69 HTC 3/4, and replace it every 5 years .. go for it.

But do it because it's what you feel you should do, not because the manufacturer of the helmet says it's got a shelf live. If the poly actually breaks down ... why is it a big deal putting it in a land fill, why are straws and bags, outlawed in the environmental protection states ... not because it degrades in 5 years, that's for sure.

Disclaimer: I don't work for anybody. This is just MHO so don't get offended by my views, please.

[Sully]

Look at the rear of your helmet, there's a DOT sticker that tells you. Mine has one. But maybe not all makers will have one.

[Douglas44]

I am always in favor of replacing helmets after any sort of hard contact .

Back in my racing day's we had to have a Snell/DOT approved helmet , it was inspected by the sanctioning body at every race. I believe the cut off date was around 5 years , unless it showed some abrasion marks . Then it was no longer deemed usable.

At my very first race at Pocono , I came off pretty hard and rang my bell , I was a bit lost for a few days. As I felt better I discovered the AMA had taken my helmet and not returned it. I started asking and was told it had been sent back to Bell Helmets.

Man was I pissed, it was brand new , how dare they simply send it away.

A few weeks later , I got a box delivered, it contained a brand new helmet, with a note that said , thanks for the sample , hope it worked as designed.

So the moral of this is : got a $10 head , buy a $10 helmet. Remember in a crash the last thing to hit the ground is your head.

[CrystalPistol]

5 years? I guess I should replace this BellStar 120 then. Had a bit of a dust up in '77.

I really take care of my helmets and head. I have every helmet I ever owned, but I don't wear them all. I use a head slick, helmets are all stored in a dry dark dehumidified basement. In '77 it was a then new one that likely saved my life, I favor FF helmets for me but I will wear a 3/4 on occasion on the Trike. I always wore a FF on a bike and found that even in heat, they are OK if the shield is simply pushed up and I wore some shades. I even use one when blowing snow, I just don't sweat in it then.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

I've been thinking about this for awhile ... well since the thread started ...

I can not lie to you guys ... I wear a helmet for two reasons ....

1) if the law requires it.

2) if I want to to protect me from the elements.

I know I'm gonna get flamed ... but ... bottom line, I don't believe my chances are any better with a helmet then without one. There have been two studies that I know of that have sighted higher fatality rates with helmets. One in Europe and One in the USA.

If people really believe you should be responsible while riding ... then we need to DICTATE the outfits of Nadar's program. Why not, Yellow Leather neck to toe suits. Everyone knows that riding a motorcycle or Trike is inherently dangerous, guessing that's why we do it. Why don't we DICTATE that sky divers be totally encased in bubble wrap. Or kayakers totally encased in Styrofoam. I just hate that some government weenie is telling me what I can and can't do ... and out of the other side of their mouth telling me that it's okay to let MS13 into our country ... or ... That pornography is free speech ... or allowing robo calls during dinner or legalizing magic mushrooms or alcohol, cigarettes, banning suicide, etc..

Bottom line ... why do states require helmets ... insurance want's them and they have big lobbies. Does anyone believe insurance companies care if we live or die. Nope, just the bottom line. I guarantee more people die from drugs than from not wearing a helmet ... and those that die without helmets ... made the choice to not wear one ... just like the guy that choose to pump drugs into his body.

I should run for President .... I would have just one item on my platform ... abolish lobbyists.

Okay ... rant over. Sorry .. every once and awhile ... a guy just need to vent.

[Burnerboy]

I wear a helmet two reasons:

1) The law requires me to wear a helmet "every ride"

2) I feel my head is worth more, then, just being "cool"

3) Every fall off I've ever had (used to race) I had hit my head, one way or another (yes it has save my head a number of times)

4) It's actually cooler in summer/warmer in winter

5) And you folks that that believe, that when going from 0 - 60+ mph or faster your safer w/o a helmet on .....Your wrong!!!

6) I wear a helmet when I'm snow skiing also...100% of the time!!!

7) And my favorite is when ever I see a " knucklehead " wearing a $10.00 beanie with a DOT sticker glued on the back of it, trying to "fool" the police... that their helmet is legal, are just kidding themselves, If you fall over and hit your head, the POS cheap helmet, will crack wide open ..... Is not going to protect you...

8) I only have one question for you::: Is your head worth only $10.00 OR is it worth a $1000.00 ???? {your the only one that can answer that question}

​To the monitors of this site: If my last two questions are out of line here, please feel free to delete my post!

Ronnie

[PosseRider]

My head is not as hard as some others, so I always wear a helmet.

[hogcowboy]

My head is not as hard as some others, so I always wear a helmet.

Exactly. But I defend others their right not to. Simple as that.

[1dn5up]

I am sorounded by 2 stated with out helmet laws. Pa and Ct. However it’s my choice to ware one at all times.

When I was a young industrial buck , ride free without one was cool . I also decorated a lot of highways with do-rags , ball caps , not to mention how many times I had to secure them on my head.

Besides the sunburn on a bald head really hurts. All my helmets are comfortable, and have visors to keep the sun from glaring.

Moral , the older one gets , its function not fashion

[rhino 2]

I am sorounded by 2 stated with out helmet laws. Pa and Ct. However it’s my choice to ware one at all times.

When I was a young industrial buck , ride free without one was cool . I also decorated a lot of highways with do-rags , ball caps , not to mention how many times I had to secure them on my head.

Besides the sunburn on a bald head really hurts. All my helmets are comfortable, and have visors to keep the sun from glaring.

Moral , the older one gets , its function not fashion

Who you kidding 'Frank, When we met a Baer last week You were dressed to the nines,

You looked like the classic clothes horse..........I seen all the young sales girls staring at you, Why they couldn't take their eyes off of you for even one moment .......

[ultrafxr]

Just my never to be humble opinion but you can site all the studies you want and we can trade statistics but I firmly believe (and know from experience) that helmets save lives and you'll never ever catch me on a bike or trike without one - period.

And yes the poly shell does degrade over time and can compromise the ability of the helmet to protect as it should.

[Tadgh45]

I'm sorry but I disagree with the no helmet crowd. At the ripe young age of 19 I was hit in an intersection on my bike by a concrete truck that blew a stop sign and was thrown 30 feet. That Bell 3/4 helmet saved my ass. I had a concussion, broken ankle, 3 broken ribs, shoulder blade and a punctured lung but I survived. I spent 3 weeks in the hospital and vowed I would never ride without a helmet. It had stress cracks all through it. I can only imagine the damage to my head without it. I will never tell you what you can and can't do but I will always wear a helmet.

[CrystalPistol]

I could not edit my prior post on helmets.

I have gone through my helmets and stripped out all the head sets, and there were 9 helmets (counting that old abused veteran Bell Star 120 in it's box way up on a shelf in the basement, it saved my head & face some serious wear) … and 5 head sets. (I sold the head sets already). Anyway, I had a big storage / trip box (4ft long, maybe 2 feet high, about 18 inches deep) I once made to use in my '77 F150 for trips to carry luggage stored safe and dry in the bed so now it's home to 8 helmets (3x FF, 2x modulars, 3x 3/4 types, and no beenies) … and some various pieces riding gear, extra gloves, etc. I still will use a helmet when blowing snow, etc. These 8 are virtually like new, no joke. I always wore a cotton & silk fabric helmet slick inside as did my Wife, helmets were only ever left on the bike if a short stop, otherwise they went with us. At home, they were stored in a "jacket & helmet" cabinet in a dehumidified basement. I am not trying to sell old helmets, just noting that even at 15 years of age as some are, they are perfectly fine. No, I am not gonna cut easy to replace straps either as I still have spare unused face shields for some of them.

Anyway, I thought of this thread. Recall maybe 20-25 years ago got called out about 2AM to go to Bedford county to reconstruct what a Trooper there thought sure was gonna be a fatal MC/car wreck there on US-460. I talked to him on the cell, he said that the rider had been air lifted to a trauma center before he arrived on scene, but that he and his Sgt figures likely will pass away after being rear ended by a car at 55 mph. I get there an hour later at least, Trooper hands me a cracked & badly scratched black beenie helmet (1/2 helmet) with a big sticker on the back that said "Helmet Laws Suck" in white letters. I interviewed the driver of the car that hit the bike, she was a waitress headed home and suddenly hit something that just appeared in the road with no lights on it. She was driving a Vega, BIG dent impact in the windshield dead center. Was a truck in the left lane so she could not swerve, she just did have time to get a foot on the brakes. She hit that "fat boy" (HD) dead center her grill too, really did a number on the Vega. Trooper had gone to the hospital to check on the rider ahead of me. I did my diagramming, photos, etc, then I went and by the time I got to the hospital, met the Trooper in the parking lot, he had the now "under arrest for DUI", "fat boy"-MC rider in his car as the hospital had released him. We gave him his helmet back with the big "Helmet Laws Suck" sticker on it presented first. He had been going home from a bar when the bike died and all his lights went dark and he said he thought he was out of the road ... but he was some "influenced" too. I told him he could not have been better centered in the right lane if he tried.

Impact really shortened his "fat boy" too, looked terminal in that respect. He cried.

I saw where a lady was using old MC helmets to make hanging bird housing or flower pots. Might try that myself next time Wife wants to add a hanging basket?

I was serious about "snow blowing", helmet is good to keep the head warm & dry as the tinted internal drop visor cuts glare and the drop outer shield keeps blowing snow out of the face. Might add some high viz details to make it stand out from white snow. Maybe a small flashing LED beacon on top? Might slip in two speakers, a XM antenna on top, maybe fix a belt to use with it to carry my XM receiver and small radio on my side?

With Covi 19 out & about, been threatening to wear my "bug light yellow" Shoei FF with it's gold reflective face shield and a neck curtain to vote?

I did once buy some Wolverine "barn boots" with composite soles that were water proof & insulated. I guess I forgot I had them because a few years later (guessing) I found them and was going to use them but the soles were falling apart. Never seen that before, so wrote Wolverine, they sent me new boots after getting mine back, they said "it happens". Was nice of them, but I know of degradation & outgassing with time.